Annabelle's Church
by Underground Romance
Summary: When Ed and Al stumble upon an old church, they overhear a distressed woman praying for her sick child. Spiritual OneShot. R&R.


**Annabelle's Church**

"Brother, its going to rain…"

Ed looked up at the sound of his brother's voice, ringing out clear as day, echoing in his head as he followed Al's gaze towards the sky. Sure enough, the sky was dimmed grey, and thick black clouds cluttered around it, bloating with rain waiting to fall. The sun was hidden, and the air was cold and tight, a cool wind blowing every now and then.

"Yeah," Ed said as he walked on, Al padding over to fall in step with him. "It is."

They both fell silent as hey walked, mud squishing under their boots, Al's shoulder brushing Ed's every now and then. Finally, Ed spoke again, startling Al, who was growing used to the silence.

"But we'll be there soon. The next town over." He said, motioning forward, yet nothing but distance of a road in view. Al mutely nodded, and ran his fingers through his hair, glancing at his older brother, who had his hands stuffed in his red coat pockets, golden eyes straying ahead in silence.

They had set off to the town called Greenwood a couple days ago, and realized how far away it really was. In between were roads and forests, and the walk was excruciating. Al was glad to have his body back, but his legs ached and his throat was sore from breathing in the cold air. Suddenly, Ed paused, craning his neck over and squinting his eyes, leaning forward a bit.

"What?" Al asked, bemused by his brother's sudden actions. Ed didn't say anything; he simply pulled away and darted into another direction entirely, turning off the road. Al jumped after him, confused but eager to see what his brother had obviously seen.

He didn't see it at first, but when he got closer, he saw the building. It was old, obviously, but stood tall and proud. It was a church, with old, dusty cream-colored tiles around it, and a white cross above the thick brown doors, and jagging onto the brown roof as well. It was eerily beautiful, Al thought to himself as he followed Ed, who was standing in front of the double doors.

Ed spun around with that Ed grin of his, and pointed at his chest with his thumb proudly as he spoke. "We can take shelter here. The rain should be coming soon."

Al nodded, and winced when he heard a crack of thunder in the distance, and the clouds swirling as a single drop of rain landed on his nose. "Yeah," he said as Ed pushed open the doors. "Good idea."

They stepped in, and recognized the smell of scented candles and fire, as well as rain and perfume. It looked like any other church; a long row leading to steps, a statue of a man pinned to a cross handing on the wall, where anyone could stand and touch his feet. There were stained glass windows all around, the eerie light shining in and shedding light into the dark church. Piers led on the sides, filled with dust, but smooth like oak. Candles led down the sides, lit with fire burning and lapping greedily at the air, shedding red and orange lights on the ground.

"Wow." Al said. Ed only walked forward, his shoes clapping against the floor as he slid into the pier, sneezing and using his jacket to wipe the dust off. Al hurried over and sat next to him, slipping in and tilting his head back to peer at the man on the cross.

"That's God, right?" Al said, pointing to the statue. Ed nodded, shifting to get more comfortable, and propped his legs on the back of the piers in front of him.

"Yeah, that's God." He said with a hint of disdain in his voice. "He supposedly sacrificed himself to save us from our own sins."

Al looked at his brother curiously, and saw his eyes were shaded over in a dark manner, his hands wringing together and tugging at his gloves anxiously.

"Why would he do that?" Ed finished, frowning to himself as he stared coolly at the man, who sadly watched him back. Al didn't know how to answer, so he was silent until Ed decided to answer his own question.

"Because he's God, right?" He said, closing his eyes. "I mean, why would he want to help us greedy, malicious humans? We lie, cheat, murder, steal, and sin like no tomorrow. And though he died for us, so they say, we still do it. If he's real, why don't we respect what he did and just try to be better?"

Al decided to answer this one. "Because we're human."

Ed opened his eyes and looked over at him, before smiling slightly. "Yeah," He said. "Because we're human."

Then they heard the doors creak open. Startled, the boys did what they had grown an instinct to do; they hid. They ducked under and hid behind the piers, holding their breath as the doors slammed shut and someone walked in.

Peering over, they realized it was a girl. She looked about in her early thirties, with brown hair pulled out of her face in a braid, and pretty blue eyes, deep and sad-looking. She wore a white blouse with a brown skirt to her knees, and white socks falling over her black shoes. Her face was so pretty, but so sad as she walked down past them, the scent of perfume wafting in their noses. She paused in front of the steps, and walked up them slowly, and only then did they realize she was cradling a single rose. She kneeled down, then just sat on her knees, gently placing the rose at God's feet and tilting her head back to stare at him.

She closed her eyes and bent her head, clasping her hands together, took a breath, and prayed.

"God," She said gently, her voice tinged with sadness and stress. "God…my little Annabelle isnt well yet. If anything, she's getting sicker." She paused, as if collecting her thoughts, then continued. "I came home yesterday and saw her out of her bed, playing with her toys. I was so happy so see she was better…but then, when I checked on her later, she had thrown up and collapsed at her bed, obviously trying to get in."

She took a shaky breath, as if trying not to cry, and paused. She was silent before speaking again. "God, I know she's dying. I knew it the first time she collapsed two years ago. I knew it by the way she got worse everyday, the way she got paler every minute. God…please…" She began to cry, big sobs that made her tiny body jar with the force of them. Big warm tears dripped down her face, and she leaned forward, crying into her skirt as she choked out to him again. "Please save my daughter! Please save my Annabelle!"

And she fell silent, the whole church tense with silent emotion, the candles shuddering as rain pounded on the roof. The woman looked up, eyes red and puffy, cheeks flushed red. Her hands were shaking, but they were still clasped together, her nails digging into her skin, drawing small droplets of crimson blood. She didn't seem to notice, for she closed her eyes again and spoke in a whisper loud enough for the brothers to hear.

"God, Annabelle is only five. She has her whole life ahead of her. My husband is getting more depressed everyday, my son is getting angrier, and I can't handle this pain. She's so young. She shouldn't have to die so young, so beautiful, with a whole life ahead of her. So God, please, save my baby girl."

She was silent again, and pulled her sweaty hands away, wiping them on her skirt, and shakily stood to her feet. She grabbed the rose and ripped it apart, throwing it at God and looking at him with wide, grieving eyes.

"I believe in you." She said, before turning and running from the church, her shoes smacking on the ground loudly, echoing through the mournful church. She pushed the doors open and the brothers watched as they slammed behind her as she ran out into the rain.

It was quiet again, until Ed stood up, dusting himself off, and Al followed suit. They didn't say a word as they walked out of the piers, and stared at the statue, solemn as it stared at them with those eyes, rose petals at his feet. And they saw the sun shine in, the rain ceasing as bright light filled the church, warmth filling their bodies.

Without a word, the two brothers walked out of the church side-by-side, leaving behind flickering candles and a crying God.


End file.
